Wayne Bennett, dean of the Bagley College of Engineering, has added another achievement to his resume. Bennett was the 2004 recipient of the prestigious Teddy Roosevelt Award from the American Council of Engineering Companies–Mississippi.
The award is given annually to a Mississippi individual with “distinctive service to the engineering profession,” as the plaque in Bennett¡s office reads.
Bennett was chosen by the ACEC/MS because he has “gone above and beyond the call of duty in the engineering profession,” said Judy Adams, executive director of the organization.
“We usually pick someone with outstanding accomplishments,” she said. “And (Bennett) has those. He is an excellent spokesperson for engineering in Mississippi.”
Bennett described winning the award as “a very pleasant surprise.” He said he admires Roosevelt because of his commitment to service.
“This means a lot to me and to my wife, who has really been a partner here by working with the students and the faculty,” Bennett said.
While serving as dean of the college, Bennett said he has worked hard to improve the curriculum and the research facilities at Mississippi State, including recent renovations to McCain Hall.
Associate Dean Robert Taylor said, “The college has made great strides in private donations and undergraduate education under Bennett.”
Some of those strides include implementing enhancement programs for undergraduate students. The enhancements include areas of study in communication, leadership and teamwork, entrepreneurship, global awareness and computation initiative.
“The enhancements benefit the undergraduates by allowing them to experience more that just the sum of 40 classes,” Taylor said.
Though Bennett has served as dean since 1996, he will be stepping down in June. He is retiring from MSU and has accepted a part-time job at Clemson University.
“I don¡t really call it retiring,” he said. “I just call it ‘stepping down into the next phase’.”
Bennett is a native of Rocky Mount, Va. He received his degree in electrical engineering from Virginia Tech. He also earned his Ph.D. in the field from the University of Florida in 1966. He has worked with General Electric, taught at Virginia Tech and Clemson University and has written several books. He has also had more than 50 technical papers published.
Bennett is a member of the American Society for Engineering Education and a Fellow of the Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineering. Now he serves on the board of directors for the International Engineering Consortium and the National Electrical and Computer Engineering Department Heads Association.
Bennett and his wife, Shirley, are looking forward to moving to South Carolina to be closer to their children, grandchildren and extended family. They have two children, Beth and David, and three granddaughters.
Although Bennett will be closer to his family, he said he will miss the students of MSU. “They are the most wonderful group of young people I¡ve ever worked with,” he said. “It’s been a wonderful experience.”